Grover Cleveland

Born: March 18, 1837
Died: June 24, 1908
Political Party: Democrat
First term: March 4, 1885- March 4, 1889
Vice President: Thomas A. Hendricks
Second Term: March 4, 1893- March 4, 1897
Vice President: Adlai E. Stevenson

Grover Cleveland seemed like an okay president he tried to help the country as best he could. He did follow the spoil system like some other presidents and he believed in lower the tariff because they’ve been so high since the Civil War. Therefore I would give the president an A- because he didn’t make the country worst and he helped settle things the right way.
Some of the goals Cleveland wanted to accomplish had a lot to do with reforms in both his terms he wanted to lower tariffs for the people. Not long into his second term the stock market crashed causing an economic depression. Cleveland wanted to repeal silver so that gold could get to safe levels. He got the House and Senate to agree with him and silver was repealed and gold gained a safer level for the government.

Cleveland didn’t have a problem with Congress the majority were Democrats, but the Senate had a Republican majority which led Cleveland to veto many bills. Up to that point he vetoed the most bills of any president. He was just trying to be fair and follow the constitution. The biggest bill he vetoed was the Texas Seed Bill. Texas had a drought that destroyed many of its crops so Congress wanted to give them $10,000 for there damages. Cleveland didn’t think the government should get involved because it didn’t help the country.

The repealing of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act was the one thing that had the greatest outcome in both terms of Cleveland serving as president. The country was going into a economic depression due to the stock market crash. Repealing was a heated topic for the house and senate. Cleveland had to get a lot of people to trust in him about the decision to repeal silver otherwise in would not be accomplished. The gold in treasury was once again at a safe level.

One of the worst acts of Cleveland was the vetoing of the Texas Seed Bill. This didn’t affect the whole country in a negative way, but in his veto message he says, “The people support the government, the government doesn’t support the people.” That was wrong to the people later the government develops many administrations that help all kinds a people through the government. If the government doesn’t help its people why should the people care about the government?
Cleveland’s interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine affected the presidents that followed and also the country. When Venezuela and Britain disagreed about where the boundary line was Cleveland stepped in and tried pressuring Britain into arbitration. There was a tribunal awarded to Britain for the bulk of the disputed land. This action gave the United States a better relation with its southern neighbors, and with Britain.

Overall Cleveland was a decent president. He helped the economy through the panic of 1893, he gained better relation with foreign countries, and he tried doing what was best for the country. He hadn’t done anything in both terms that affected the country in an extreme negative way; mostly what he did was positive and benefited the country. This is why I believe that Cleveland deserves and A- has a president.